Bill encourages schools to buy food from local farms

A bill making its way through the Legislature would try to make it easier for farmers in Massachusetts to sell their fresh produce to the area's schools.

Laura Krantz/Daily News correspondent

A bill making its way through the Legislature would try to make it easier for farmers in Massachusetts to sell their fresh produce to the area's schools.

The bill, which passed the House yesterday, prohibits junk food in public schools, and an amendment to the bill calls for research to be done on what local food is available and what schools are interested in.

A report would be done with the hope that the findings would increase cooperation among the Department of Agriculture, local farms and public schools. The bill seeks to "develop a mechanism and process by which schools interested in purchasing Massachusetts' farm products may notify farms."

"I hope this will prompt school districts who have the opportunity to give thought to it," said Rep. Alice Peisch, D-Wellesley.

Peisch said people in her district don't realize the extent to which farms and schools can cooperate.

"It's a great opportunity for both to benefit," she said.

One beneficiary of the bill would be Lunenberg's Lanni Orchards, which already provides apples to schools in Wayland, Shrewsbury and Waltham. Patt Lanni, a third-generation co-owner of the orchard, said selling to schools benefits the orchard as well as the students.

"That might be the one well-balanced meal a day that the kids get, so we are happy to play a part in that," Lanni said.

The people at Natick Community Organic Farm, however, have never considered selling to schools regularly, because of the farm's small size.

"It's hard to have farmers get in on that level," said Lynda Simkins, the farm's executive director. She said she has noticed many schools opt for large-scale distributors like Sysco because of lower prices, consistent quality and large quantities.

Lisa Beaudin, director of food and nutrition services in the Ashland School Department, said because a large part of the school year is during winter, it is hard to have fresh local produce year-round.

She also said little complications such as writing purchase orders and driving to the farms to pick up apples make providing local food difficult.

Beaudin said she will look into buying more produce from local farms "if this bill passes and they find ways to make it easier for the farms to extend to us."

Rep. Peter Koutoujian, D-Waltham, presented research during debate on the amendment that showed 63 percent of the 630,000 students in Massachusetts public schools currently receive local food in their lunches.

He said the trend is increasing. In 2006, 32 Massachusetts school districts purchased local food. Last year the number rose to 205 school districts, Koutoujian said.

Koutoujian called the amendment a "good economic development piece" because, by buying direct from farms, it would eliminate middlemen in the farm-school buying process, increasing profits for farmers and allowing schools to buy at wholesale prices.

Schools could also profit from increased lunch sales, if students enjoyed the healthier options and bought lunch instead of bringing their own.

Koutoujian said farms employ 22,000 people in Massachusetts, and new contracts with schools will help ensure that those jobs do not disappear.

Some local farmers are skeptical about the bill. John Burns, farm manager at Belkin Lookout Farm in Natick, said when he explored the idea of selling to schools four years ago, nothing came of it.

"I would be amenable to talk to anyone who would want to talk about the possibility," he said.

Anne Cody, a consultant for the Massachusetts Farm to School program, which facilitates cooperation between farms and schools, said better communication is needed.

Many farms "don't know that the schools want what they have to grow," she said.

Cody, who has worked with farmers and schools in MetroWest school districts, said the program has grown to include private schools, colleges and hospitals. All the institutions are increasing farm purchases as the process becomes more efficient.

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